I have made many decisions in my life, and not all of them have been good choices. The decision to adopt my children was made on the spur of the moment, without any input from anyone else, and after 45 years as a mother, I can say that it was one of the best choices... Continue Reading →
A Most Authentic Tourist
We are in Seville, Spain! We arrived here yesterday and will leave tomorrow, going back to our Portugal apartment. Douglas is like a kid in a candy store, with his tourist maps and phone apps, finding all the places he wants to see. Today, we walked for nearly seven hours (I earned nearly 16,000 steps!),... Continue Reading →
God is not a Genie in a Bottle
I have been disturbed lately about the content of prayer training in many churches. The emphasis seems to be on calling on God with a list of wants, and then waiting as He fulfills the requests. This attitude of God as similar to a genie, a magic spirit who takes on human form and grants... Continue Reading →
Back in the Passenger Seat Again
I am once again a passenger, dependent on someone else to drive me wherever I need to go, mainly for two reasons. First, I cannot drive here because the cars in Portugal that we can afford to rent are manual transmissions. I have no idea how to crank one up, much less drive one. I... Continue Reading →
The Car that Refused to Crank
We arrived in Kenya and immediately started Swahili language school in Nairobi. While there, Our Mission put us in touch with a Missionary family moving out of their house in Nakuru. We could rent the house, hire the night watchman, adopt the cat and buy the car. This sounded like a great package deal, so... Continue Reading →
The Power of a Song to Unite Us
One of the elements of my life that I miss here in Portugal is the choir at my church. I do love the congregational singing at the church we are attending, but, for me, nothing beats the harmony of different voices singing together, united in their joy for the Lord, bringing the whole church to... Continue Reading →
The Undepletable
Being a Californian, I have traveled a variety of times through the Gold Country. When John Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill, it set off the 1849 gold rush. There ensued a huge influx of mostly poor people seeking a fortune in the gold fields. At first, people panned for gold, but as the good... Continue Reading →
Don’t Let Others Deplete Your Joy
We have moved to the beautiful city of Quarteira in Portugal, with its wonderful beaches and colorful houses and apartment buildings. We met our host's parents, and it was one of the highlights of this visit. His mother could not speak any English, but she managed to show me all that I needed to know... Continue Reading →
A Glimmer of Home
The family was camped by a High Sierra lake for a week, with some friends. The next day, the friends were going home and we were embarking on a long trek. The trek entailed a long hike down one trail and another up a second trail to a point just ten miles from us. Since... Continue Reading →
Abrupt Disrupt
We came to Portugal hoping that the dry and sunny weather of summer would have started. Instead, our plans were disrupted by rain and cold. There were sunny days where we attained our hopes of outdoor activities. Unfortunately, our return was not to a cozy abode. We shivered in our warmest clothes. Desperately, we... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 